#150:From my unlocked diaries: My 150 Not Out is about – ‘When the world was almost wiped OUT’

The day – Oct 27, 1962, about 60 years ago; it was a day when the world came very close to total annihilation, on the cusp of a nuclear war between the?two world super powers – US & Soviet Union during the height of the cold war.?

Luckily one man saved the day and the world from a nuclear apocalypse.?His name Vasily Arkhipov (Vasily) – a Soviet submarine (Sub) fleet commander.??

Despite extreme stress and provocation by the enemy, Vasily made a choice that prevented a sure-shot nuclear World War – 3.?

In the years leading up to the cold war between US and Soviet Union, both countries had stockpiled enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world several times over.?During 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crises, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to a request from Cuba to place missiles on Cuban islands bordering the US.?This meant that Soviet missiles were in striking distance into the US mainland.?This move was a Soviet retaliation to the US placing missiles in Italy and Turkey that could strike Moscow and other Soviet targets.

Right in the middle of this crisis was Cuban dictator – Fidel Castro, a Soviet ally who was seeking protection from Soviet Union against a possible Cuban invasion by US troops. The stage it seemed was set for a terrible showdown between the two super powers.??

Tempers ran high,?hawkish behaviour and war mongering was prevalent on both sides.?Suspicion of each other’s motives and moves was triggering heightened level of military and civilian alertness, both in Washington and Moscow.?It seemed like the hands were always on the trigger.?Calm and rationale thinking on both sides was considered a sign of weakness, even unpatriotic.??

Around this time, fearing that?Soviets would ship in new missiles into Cuba through the Atlantic sea, American president – John F. Kennedy (Kennedy) ordered a naval blockade against Cuba, to force Soviets to move their missiles out of Cuba and to prevent smuggling in more.?

On October 27, 1962, American naval forces spotted a Soviet submarine hiding in the Caribbean sea, close to the Cuban coast.?It was a B-59 diesel powered Soviet Sub, along with 3 other Subs in its fleet on a top-secret mission heading to Cuba carrying in its payload – nuclear tipped torpedoes.

Upon spotting the B – 59 Sub, American naval ships dropped depth charges to try and get the Soviet Sub to surface. These depth chargers were low explosive ones, about the size of hand grenades, not really meant to be lethal and with no intention to destroy or sink the B – 59 Sub.?

(Representative picture)

But the B – 59 crew interpreted this as an American attack.?To add to the confusion and tension inside the Sub,?the B-59 fleet had lost complete radio contact with Moscow days prior to this incident, as it was too deep underwater to avoid being spotted by American naval ships.??So, the B – 59 Sub Commander and the crew had no idea if indeed a war had broken out with the US. ?At the same time, little did the Americans know that this B – 59 Sub was armed with a nuclear tipped torpedo.??

By now the B-59 was at a depth of about 1,500 meters undersea to avoid detection. The temperatures inside the Sub was becoming unbearable at 50-degree Celsius.?The constant bombardment by the US navy with depth charges was forcing the B – 59 to dive further deep.?The Captain of this B -59 – Captain Valentine Savitsky (Savitsky) was by now exhausted and dis-oriented.??

Savitsky unable to manage the tension and in a fit of rage made an emotional outburst to his crew – “We’re gonna blast them now. We will die, but we will sink them all – we will not become the shame of the fleet”

In a fit of rage, Savitsky ordered the nuclear torpedo to be assembled for launch, as a counter attack against the US Naval fleet.

The nuclear bomb had the same power of the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.?But, the nuclear torpedo launch protocol needed 3 people to agree.?The 2 people agreed – Savitsky and his Deputy.?But, Vasily, the fleet commander refused to sanction the torpedo launch.

Vasily calmed Captain Savitsky down and talked him out of any rash actions.?Vasily kept a cool head even when the conditions inside the Sub were boiling. Vasily constantly reasoned with Captain Savitsky by explaining they were not in danger, as depth charges fired by US navy appeared to be warning shots since they were being dropped to the left or right, but always off target.

While all this was happening at sea off the Cuban coast,?President Kennedy was worried that Soviets would indeed mistake these depth charges fired at B – 59 for an attack -?an act of war.?Too add to the tension, around the same time two of US Air Force military recon aircrafts were shot down by missiles fired by the Soviets from Cuban territory.?There was now every reason for the US to retaliate.?But President Kennedy held his nerve.??

Using his brother Robert Kennedy, he opened a channel of communication with the Soviets, meeting secretly in a Chinese restaurant in Washington to diffuse the dangerously escalating situation.?

At the same time at sea, sense had prevailed.?B – 59 commander heeded Vasily’s advice, and did not launch the nuclear torpedo.?Captain Savitsky finally made the decision for the B-59 Sub to come to the surface and open a channel of communication directly with the US Navy ships to clear the confusion.?A fatal mistake was thus avoided, in the nick of time. ?

Since the US Navy never inspected the B -59 on that day, they had no idea that the B-59 carried a nuclear weapon on board !

It’s only 40 years later when some of the naval commanders of both US and Russia met at an ‘enemies’ re-union that the US learnt about the nuclear torpedo on board B – 59 … and how close they come to a nuclear showdown !! ?If on that day, B – 59 had launched the torpedo, it would have prompted a nuclear response from the US for sure.?And perhaps that may have been the end of the world 60 years ago…??Thanks to Vasily Arkhipov for his calm and composed nature, even during extremely testing times several meters deep under water in the most hostile conditions.?

If you think the world has come a long way and learnt our lessons - No.?

The nuclear threat is back, with the super powers battling in Ukraine war theatre.?Fires often raze very close to nuclear power plants.?Fingers of leaders seem to be itching to press the nuke.?Even an accidental release or a communication gap between countries can cause a nuclear spiral and has the lethal potential of going out of control.

Back in India, we have had our own moment of nerves with the accidental launch of Brahmos missile into Pakistan.?

Keeping channels of communication between DGMO’s on both sides thankfully diffused the situation, with a cool head like Vasily Arkhipov did about 60 years back.?

Be it personal or family disputes, corporate conflicts or nations at war, it’s always good to keep channels of communication open, even with the worst of your enemies.?Take a pause, never act in a hurry in the heat of the moment.?Give discussions, negotiations a chance before you take the final decision.

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Friends, it all started on Feb 13, 2020.?Back then the world was a different place with no fear of Covid, lockdowns… or fear of a nuclear war among super powers.?That’s when I started by taking baby steps at writing!?It’s with wonderment and delight that I look back after over 2 ? years, as I pen this 150th article – My 150 Not Out !

I would like to thank my friends, and many of you out there (whom I have never met) for constantly providing me feedback and encouraging me along this wonderful journey – Thank you !

Balu

Nov 2, 2022

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